Gerald Kucera doesn’t let land ownership lines, city limits, or even international borders stop him from serving others. Whether it’s delivering meals to farmers in the field in his local community of Silver Lake, Minnesota, or building homes for families in Guatemala, Gerald and his wife, Luanne, embody a life of giving back.

Gerald has been a Beck’s dealer for two years, but has been in the seed business for more than 40 years. Coming from a long line of farmers, he now rents out his ground to make more time to give back.

“We like to give back to our customers,” said Gerald. “I don’t like to take money from someone without doing something in return. Customers mean everything to us. It’s not just a customer and sales representative relationship, but people to people. We are always stopping in and checking on our customers to see what they may need.”

Gerald and Luanne do not limit their charitable efforts to just their customers. They give back to any farmer they see in the fields during harvest.

“In the fall, we drive around and give people in the fields snack packs,” he said. “They are usually pretty surprised, especially prospects because we don’t go out there trying to sell something. We just ask how they are doing.”

Beyond helping farmers, including future farmers through FFA support, Gerald and Luanne are heavily involved with their church. While Luanne focuses on the ladies association in the church, Gerald teaches Bible classes to high school juniors every Wednesday night. He demonstrates the power of serving with his students by taking a group of kids – and anyone else who’d like to join – to the mission field in Guatemala. Over the last 19 years, he has taken 600 people to serve in the villages there.

“A lot of the time, we build houses or stoves inside the homes to create proper ventilation,” he said. “If there is a new community, we will help build roads and put in water lines. Anything they need us to do, we help with.”

During his 19 mission trips, Gerald and the groups that have gone along with him have helped build a total of 3,900 homes.

“I have learned that the people down there have very little, and they are happy with what they have,” he said. “They will walk 10, 12, even 15 miles to get to church. It’s amazing how these people have such deep faith in God and love for their land. Mother Nature means everything to them, and they take care of what they have.”

Throughout the year, Gerald and Luanne hold craft fair fundraisers where they sell items they have brought back from Guatemala. The money raised goes towards medical supplies that they bring back for the kids in the villages. Many of these fundraisers are held between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Anyone can give back, and everyone has opportunities to help others daily. Gerald is an inspiration to us all to give back not only during this holiday season, but all year round.